my wife works down there, it's definitely pretty rough going...Chain-wise Houston's and Wolfgang Puck would work, I think a teenage boy going off to college would probably be into the huge, bar food-centric menu (think burgers, wings, nachos, etc) at Barney's Beanery (maybe not you)...Anisette is good but pricey - if you like sushi, the Sushi Roku down there has some pretty decent lunch specials

Fraiche and Anisette are the best - and both very good. Fig at the Fairmont would be my third choice. And then there's the best of the rest; Houstons is decent "chain" food (better than the Olive Garden - on a par with Daily Grill), Locanda del Lago, the restaurant in the Shangri La hotel.

I am your son's age, well in the stage of life he's entering. I like Comfort Cafe at Fred Segal Santa Monica. It's a casual place with good food. I also really like Locanda del Lago, but I would reserve and order ahead if you go there since its during his lunch hour. Someone mentioned chain places, I'd go to Il Fornaio, and reserve a spot and order ahead. Monsieur Marcel is good. I think my number one choice at this very moment would be Cafe Crepe.

Edit: This is also my rebuttal to the area being a wasteland or rough going for good, inexpensive food.

Is the Comfort Cafe still at the Santa Monica Fred Segal? When we ate at the Umami Burger there recently I didn't notice any other place to eat outside of Umami (but then again I didn't go exploring, so it may well be someplace else in the store?).